But sitting in a plane is not exertion for most people ....boring , yes , but WHY does it wipe us out and not most people? I know many people who are over their jetlag in 2 days.
A simple answer would be that it's not just the act of sitting on an airplane that would cause a person with ME to crash.
Consider the following factors -- packing a suitcase is enough for some of us to crash, then there is the physical trip to the airport (for me it's two hours or 4 or 5 depending on the traffic jams), then it's getting your luggage into the airport, then waiting in usually long line ups in a noisy, bright environment, then after that it's usually going through a security check with more long line ups, then it's waiting in the departure area which usually means standing because the few seats that are available are taken. The last time I flew was to Heathrow from Toronto back in 2007 and I can tell you being able to sit down on the airplane to rest is what I looked forward to.
To mitigate the effects of dehydration, drink tons of water. Make sure you have an aisle seat so you can stretch can go for little walks in the aisle. There is one thing you can't avoid though is the cabin pressure causing a bit of hypoxia, which if you are prone to, will be greatly exacerbated. It is my personal belief that be able to use supplemental oxygen on a flight would be of great help to people with ME. Also having access to a wheelchair is very helpful at the airport.
After getting off the plane, there are again long line-ups -- clearing customs, getting your luggage. Then getting out of the airport is another hurdle to get over.
Does air travel exacerbate symptoms -- too right it does but why could be due to quite a few things. Considering that there are days when some us can't even get out of bed, it's not that shocking that air travel could cause a huge relapse of symptoms which isn't just down to 'jet lag'.
I doubt air travel could actually cause ME/CFS -- maybe if there was a person who spread a nasty viral infection or something which set off a cascade of events where you never recovered. When it comes to catching an infection,there's nothing quite like being in a closed environment.
It would be impossible for air travel to cause EDS since it's a genetic disorder present from birth. I suppose if you have been asymptomatic all your life, it could perhaps exacerbate symptoms into becoming noticeable. I do believe that air travel can make even healthy people feel like crap for a few days after they fly.
why we get bad jetlag
Vasodilation due to depressurisation from altitude
plus dehydration from aircon
plus sitting upright for prolonged period
plus sitting STILL for prolonged period - no muscle movement to help venous return
plus hot crowded environment
plus lots of waiting around in queues and lounges
Jet lag is related to a disruption of our circadian rhythms. Symptoms are caused by a circadian rhythm that is out of sync with the day-night cycle of the destination. Vasodilation, dehydration, venous pooling, environment, long wait times do not cause jet lag. These symptoms/issues seem to be related to reasons why one would easily crash before, after, or during a long flight. You can have all these symptoms on a flight that does not cross time zones. You can encounter these things without actually being on an airplane.
My conclusion is that air travel would indeed exacerbate symptoms of ME due to a huge number of variables combined.
I doubt that air travel alone would cause ME and there has been nothing to suggest that is would.
The question is impossible to answer as there is no such thing as ME/EDS. If one has been diagnosed with both then one could attribute symptoms during air travel to one, the other or both.
Also the questions are a bit misleading for me.
DId your ME/EDS symptoms first appear after AIRPLANE travel?
- yes
- no
- not sure/did not notice
- after several air flights
- I suffer bad jetlag
Perhaps either yes or no to the question 'Did your ME symptoms first appear after AirPlane travel in the absence of any other explainable factor? would have been better a better question.
I am not sure how one could not notice they had ME.
If you had symptoms of ME after several air flights, does it indicate that the first few flights have any correlation with the symptoms you later developed.
Suffering bad jet lag is a whole different kettle of fish. I know extremely healthy people who suffer terrible jet lag. I would assume messing up your circadian rhythms would naturally exacerbate symptoms of ME -- for me turning our clocks forward and back messes me up and can instigate a crash.